1. Field of the Invention
The subject combined bottle holder and activity center apparatus for an infant is generally directed to an apparatus for use with an infant car seat or other support structure about an area where an infant may be seated or reclined. More specifically, the subject apparatus is one which may be attached to the support apparatus to safely suspend a feed bottle for a seated or reclined infant's self-feeding therefrom, and do so while presenting a variety of elements for stimulating and interactively engaging the infant. The Apparatus in this manner provides a readily adaptable tool for simultaneously comforting and captivating the infant, and at the same time easing the care giving burden on the infant's parent or other attendant.
The challenges of caring for an infant are well appreciated by adults universally. Even for the most organized and tenderly efficient mothers, the constant all-absorbing nature of the care giving responsibility is at times overwhelming especially when needs of the infant requiring certain immediate response arise frequently at sporadic intervals. The most prominent of such needs may be the frequent feedings required for infants which, for the sake of the infants' health, cannot be deferred or even delayed by any significant amount of time. Unfortunately, the hunger pangs of infants occur quite abruptly, often while the caregiver is tending to another important task. The caregiver must then set the task aside altogether in order to administer the feeding. Some of the most inopportune times for such occurrences may be, for example, while the caregiver is in the process driving, shopping (with the infant seated in a carriage or in a portable car seat carried in the cart), or carrying out household chores.
Typically, when the infant cries out, the caregiver will very shortly, if not immediately, thereafter pull the vehicle over, withdraw to a private location, or otherwise drop the other task at hand in order to tend to the infant. The caregiver will then hold the feed bottle to the infant's mouth for the duration of feeding—which especially for younger infants—amounts to a considerable period of time.
While parental aids are available to help in supporting the bottle during the feeding process, no apparatus heretofore known provides such help in a sufficiently safe, effective, and simple manner to reliably assure the responsible caregiver enough to relinquish any meaningful measure of control over the feeding process thereto. The more effective of the contraptions heretofore known tend to be bulky and complicated to the point of being too cumbersome for use regularly. Even when they are properly used, the resulting assemblies prove overly restrictive and do little to draw and occupy the infant's attention. More often than not, the resulting assemblies also obstruct the caregiver's clear and open view of the infant's face during feeding, hindering the caregiver's ability to monitor the feeding and visually interact with the infant.
Other devices heretofore known fail for various reasons to even provide stable support of the feed bottle. Nor do the known devices provide adequate support while preserving a safe and forgiving structure immediately about the infant's face and body. Consequently, there is a need for an apparatus of simple structure which provides safe and reliable support for a feed bottle, whereby an infant seated or reclined therebeneath may effectively self-feed while being stimulated and mentally engaged during the process.
2. Prior Art
Devices for holding baby bottles are known in the art, as are novelty toy items and baby activity centers.
The best prior art known to Applicant includes: U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,938,861; 6,961,961; 4,722,713; 6,213,547; 6,827,317; 6,082,681; 6,003,821; 5,397,039; 4,320,883; D573,662; D266,273; D375,796; 5,704,505; 5,613,657; 5,664,746; 5,135,189; D325,636; 4,630,793; 4,320,883; 6,971,612; 6,601,803; D462,775; 6,598,837; D454,957; 6,598,838; 6,705,576; D451,201; 6,386,490; D438,626; D413,984; D447,872; 6,056,246; D452,196; D443,933; 7,284,790; 7,012,541; 6,824,112; 5,312,282; 5,217,192; 3,512,301; 5,072,843. Such known devices, however, fail to provide the combination of features and advantages provided by the subject apparatus.